A research team describes a gene called Snf2h, which is found in our brain's neural stem cells and functions as a master regulator. When they removed this gene early on in a mouse's development, its cerebellum only grew to one-third the normal size. It also had difficulty walking, balancing and coordinating its movements, something called cerebellar ataxia that is a component of many neurodegenerative diseases.

The US Department of Defense and US Department of Veterans Affairs should track the outcomes of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) provided to service members and veterans and develop a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to do so, says a new congressionally mandated report.

Calling global mental health problems 'acute and urgent,' leading authorities from 11 countries have published a joint declaration calling for basic mental health care in Africa. Experts call for global mental health objectives to be included among the United Nations' post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

Hydraulic engineers and photovoltaics experts have developed a solar filtration system to produce high-quality drinking water from polluted brackish water and tested it successfully in Tanzania. The test results are currently being analyzed. The filter effectively separates undesired substances, bacteria, and viruses.

HIV epidemics are emerging among people who inject drugs in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Though HIV infection levels were historically very low in the Middle East and North Africa, substantial levels of HIV transmission and emerging HIV epidemics have been documented among people who inject drugs in at least one-third of the countries of this region, according to research findings.

A man with almost no hair on his body has grown a full head of it after a novel treatment. There is currently no cure or long-term treatment for alopecia universalis, the disease that left the 25-year-old patient bare of hair. This is the first reported case of a successful targeted treatment for the rare, highly visible disease.

According to the World Health Organization, such mood disorders as depression affect some 10% of the world's population and are associated with a heavy burden of disease. Now, scientists report that they have 'fingerprinted' a culprit in depression, anxiety and other mood disorders.

Sun lovers eagerly flock to the beach every summer, despite widespread awareness of the risk of skin cancer. A new study reveals that chronic exposure to UV radiation causes the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins, which act through the same pathway as heroin, leading to physical dependence, tolerance, and addiction-like behavior in rodents. The findings could explain why people have an instinctive desire to be in the sun, despite its known health risks.

Covert changes of mind can be discovered by tracking neural activity when subjects make decisions, researchers have found. Their results, offer new insights into how we make decisions and point to innovative ways to study this process in the future.

Women 55 and younger are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack, die or require artery-opening procedures if they're depressed. Women in this age group are also more likely than men and older women to suffer from depression -- possibly a 'hidden' risk factor that helps explain why more women die after a heart attack.